I like this next question, because it's one that I heard a lot when people found out that my primary mode of transportation was a bike, and that I didn't own a car. @ai6yr asks:
Q3.What are some of the strategies people use to handle grocery shopping on bicycle? (coming from someone in car-land, who loads up stuff in a big trunk and burns a bunch of fuel getting it home...)
@ascentale@ai6yr A3 #BikeNite I bought a grocery-specific bike, the supermarche, and outfitted it with a little #hillTopper front wheel motor kit. It's not really enough motor for these hills and heavier loads, but it's a work in progress. Usually I just do the 1/2 mile of groceries in acoustic mode for the exercise. I previously had a double-wall cardboard box strapped to the xtracycle deck for light bulky goods, plus loading the cargo bags below with cans and heavy stuff, plus an ikea bag.
how is the #hillTopper sprinter kit for going up a big hill in a hurry with an empty 110lb #superCargo bike for a 200lb dad? Not terrible. But you should get a bigger motor if you want to do this a lot. I'm doing 16mph on the flat/slightly uphill, had been running the motor at max for 2min at that steady pace up Bertha (60ft climbing.) Then another 70ft climbing in about half the time. Would be easier without cars in the way.
Is the #HillTopper motor and little "sprinter" battery enough for this #supercargo to climb Terwilliger after riding up Mt Tabor? Kinda? Not really, but I had a second inverter battery pack to charge it up a bit, shoulda plugged it in earlier but I did make it almost to the Chart House before it turned acoustic. #cargoBikes#pdxBikes#eBikes
The SW Ridge Dr hill south of Stanley Ct, 80-ish lb kid, #superCargo with 350W #HillTopper front hub motor. I think I was distracted talking about the motor and probably could have mashed the throttle more in the flat spot between these two lumps. #eBikes
@rbellinger not mine, a local on a ride last weekend, but I can confirm the utility of a small geared hub motor #hillTopper 20in wheel with the much heavier #superCargo + passenger (ideally I would want more power for steep hills but I can deal and it is light, top speed is probably higher with his kit that looks like a 48V battery, maybe field weakening involved)
bike check / mountain check for the yuba #supercargo with the little #hillTopper#eBikes kit. Rode from Barbur up Terwilliger to downtown, around with the @bikeloudpdx#pdxBikes#eBike policy ride, and back out Barbur from 1st. The battery indicator was red (of blue, green, red) when I got home but it never faded on the long steady climb out Barbur, 10 minutes for 2.5 miles with 200+ft elevation (ODOT, get your cars off of our essential historically-streetcar-graded bikeways)